


something borrowed, something new

by sodelicate



Series: celshin fics bc i'm obsessed [2]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Mild Sexual Content, extremely mild like it's barely there, idk at which point this takes place in canon, just go with it, romantic getaway to kyoto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 03:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodelicate/pseuds/sodelicate
Summary: Shinra has been thinking about something new for a while now, actually. Of course, it would just be a formality since they’re already cohabiting and deeply in love with each other. He’s had his silly fantasies of seeing her in a white gown (and then taking it off her), and not to mention that time they punched each other as a substitute for their wedding kiss, but he seriously thinks it’s time now. After all, he has never and he knows he will never love another the way he loves her, and he’s all too happy to devote the rest of his life to loving her.Now, he just needs to plan, to make this the best proposal ever so Celty would never even think of having anyone else.Shinra and Celty get away from the craziness of Ikebukuro to be typical Kyoto tourists, encounter some mean deer, and make an important decision together.
Relationships: Kishitani Shinra/Celty Sturluson
Series: celshin fics bc i'm obsessed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681183
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	something borrowed, something new

**Author's Note:**

> while it's not completely necessary to read the previous one-shot ['all's well that ends well to end up with you'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23254654) in order to read this one, it would help to provide some context. there are also some parallels between them, kinda like two sides of the same coin.
> 
> artistic license: festivals. while most of the info is accurate to the best of my knowledge (thanks, wikipedia), i made up just a teeny bit of stuff because plot.
> 
> enjoy! :)

Many years ago, when Shinra was but a young precocious boy, he asked his new housemate (and long-time crush) when her birthday was. She said she didn’t remember, because she’d been alive too long for her to remember. Part of him found that aspect of immortality fascinating—that so much had happened in her long life that she couldn’t remember something like her birthday—but another part of him was sad, because that probably meant she didn't think of her birthday as anything significant. Plus, he had really been looking forward to celebrating the day she came into existence.

“How about you choose a new birthday?” he suggested, smiling up at her with all his wide-eyed boyish charm.

“I can do that?” she asked, completely nonplussed. “But isn't a birthday supposed to mark, you know, the day you entered the world? That's not something you can change.” She paused, then 'peered' suspiciously at him. “You can’t, right?”

Shinra laughed, but he also had to wonder what Celty thought of him that led her to think he could literally change the day someone was born. “You can’t change the technical date, but every day is a new beginning—that’s what they say. If you want, you can choose a day that’s special to you; a day something really good happened to you.”

Celty paused, as if to contemplate his words. While waiting, Shinra let his mind wander. What date would she choose? New Year’s Day? The first of January marked the beginning of a new year after all, so it would be a classic choice if a bit cheesy and on-the-nose. Or maybe an important date the Irish celebrated? What did the Irish celebrate, anyway? Wasn't there something about a saint, the colour green, and lots of alcohol? He wouldn’t know, though now he wished he did—it was important he got to know the culture Celty was from.

Or what if she asked to share birthdays with him? That would be super cute. If it were anyone else, he would laugh in their face and follow it with a flat “No”. But sharing a birthday with Celty would be fun! They could get a dual cake, and could compete to see who could wish the other ‘happy birthday’ quicker, and have a mega celebration for the both of them. 

So caught up in his fantasies, he didn’t realise she had already given her answer until she waved a worried hand in front of his face.

“Sorry, did you say something?” Shinra asked sheepishly.

She nodded. “March 20.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Vernal Equinox Day? An unusual choice. I didn’t think you liked the festivals here that much.”

“Oh, there was a festival?” If she had eyebrows, they would probably be arching into her hairline. Shinra chuckled at that mental image.

“Yeah! Vernal Equinox Day is one of the two days in the year where day and night are of the same length—the other is in autumn. It used to be a religious thing, but it was secularised so religion and state would be separated in Japan’s postwar constitution.” He grinned, proud of himself for remembering so many big adult words. Biology might have been his primary interest, but he’d started studying Japan’s history in great detail so he could teach Celty too. “We still celebrate it as a festival here: _haru no higan._ The exact date changes every year ‘cause it depends on, like, the moon and stars and other astrological stuff. But usually it falls anywhere between the 19th and 22nd of March, so choosing March 20 for your new birthday is a pretty safe bet.”

“I never knew! Huh. So how do you celebrate it now, since you said it’s a festival?”

He swelled with pride. “It’s a national holiday, so people will have the day off to celebrate it with their families. Since it’s a time to pay tribute to the spirits of our loved ones, we usually visit our ancestors’ graves, do some good old spring cleaning, and make some offerings.”

A puff of black smoke emitted from her neck. Ah, she's ‘frowning’. “I don't have any ancestors to pay respects to, though. Is it really okay for me to be using that sacred day as my birthday?”

“Well,” he said slowly, “some believe it’s also a day for new beginnings while honouring your past. And this kinda is a new beginning for you, isn’t it?”

“I—I suppose so, yes…”

She still sounded unsure, so Shinra decided to change tactics. He tilted his head just a little to the left and gave her his brightest, most winning smile. “I’ve told you what that day means to us here in Japan. Why don't you tell me what that day, March 20, means to you?”

An especially large cloud of smoke burst from her neck and encircled them in a black orb. Ah, she’s embarrassed. “I—well, it means… you—you don’t remember?”

“What am I supposed to be remembering?” he asked innocently, batting his eyelashes at her.

Her arms folded tight over her chest. “It—it’s nothing! If you don’t remember that’s okay!”

“C’mon, there has to be a reason you chose that day of all days, right? Tell me, Celty!”

But no matter how much he whined and begged and cajoled, she refused to budge. Perhaps the head-tilting and eyelash-batting strategy wasn’t as effective as he’d hoped it would be, because he ended up tied to the couch with a smoky black gag shoved in his mouth, watching helplessly as Celty stormed out of the room.

It wasn’t until he went snooping in his dad’s notes a few days later that he found out the reason why Celty chose March 20 out of all 365 days of the year as her new birthday. And what a delight it was to discover! 

“Celty!” he sang, dashing to where she was on the couch and flinging himself at her. He was still small enough to fit on her lap. He hoped to have her on _his_ lap one day when he’s older, but for now he could enjoy cuddling up to her with all his boyish charm. “I know the reason why you chose that day for your birthday!”

“Geh!” She hastily shoved him off her lap and sprang up from the couch, presumably to escape to her room.

Shinra was quicker than that. He leapt to his feet and tossed himself at her, latching himself to her waist since that was about as high as he could reach. His arms couldn’t quite fit around her waist. But that’s okay. One day he’d be a man, and she would fit nicely in his arms, and he’d be able to hold her all he wanted. 

“What do you want?” she demanded, exasperated.

“March 20 was the day we met, wasn't it? On that ship?”

“You remembered?! I thought you didn't!”

He smirked. “Heh, I have my ways.” Then he tightened his arms around her as much as he could. “Why didn't you just say so? That's so sweet, choosing that day for your birthday! I didn't know you treasured our first meeting that much!”

Black smoke clouded above him. Celty’s hands rested briefly on his, as if to prise him off her, but she seemed to change her mind at the last moment. “W—well, I wasn't gonna say anything if you didn't remember. It’s embarrassing to say that kind of thing out loud, you know! Oh wait, never mind, you don't have any sense of shame.”

Happily, Shinra nuzzled into her back. “You're right.”

“And you’re oddly happy over a birthday that isn’t even yours.”

“Can’t I be happy for you? And…” A pleasant warmth filled his cheeks. “That day was a special one for me too, you know. ‘Cause I got to meet you.”

More black smoke filled the air around them. “Stop saying such embarrassing things,” Celty muttered. But she still wasn't making any move to pull him off her and forcibly deliver him back to his room like she usually did when he became too much of a pest.

“Hey, Celty, what do you want for your birthday?” he asked as a sudden thought occurred to him. “It’s just a couple weeks away.”

“Hmm… Well, it’s the day of a festival, right? I’d like to celebrate it with you—and, uh, Shingen too I guess, if we really have to—since it means so much to your culture. Oh, but…” Celty’s smoke turned bitter, and that clued Shinra in on her current mood. “But I can’t go out like this. I look like a monster.”

“It’s not your fault that others don’t appreciate what a pretty monster you are,” Shinra declared. 

“You don't even know what my head looks like.”

“Doesn’t matter. But I guess there might be some trouble if I were to walk around town with a headless woman, and I’d want you to enjoy your birthday in peace. How—”

A metaphorical lightbulb lit up above his head, and he nearly laughed at his shrewdness. It's simple, but amazing. Of course it was. He's Kishitani Shinra, kid genius, the one who knew things would happen because he would _make_ them happen.

And he was going to make sure Celty could enjoy her birthday, her new beginning, without worrying about the way she looked. 

That was how Celty ended up with a cat-shaped helmet on her head on March 20. She was apprehensive at first, unsure if that would really work because wouldn’t she need to take her helmet off at certain locations? But Shinra assured her that if anyone gave her trouble, he would politely ask them to leave. He liked to think he was quite effective at his job, because a brat armed with a scalpel obviously painted a threatening image. 

(And if it was his dad who actually managed to chase people away thanks to his gas mask and all-around outlandish personality… well, Shinra would never tell.) 

All in all, it was a good celebration. They visited some ancestors’ graves, and he made up a whole bunch of stories about them to tell Celty (never mind their accuracy), then returned home to begin the real celebration. They played video games—he let her win at Mario Kart, though he denied it when she caught on—and had a huge birthday cake that would last them a week (watching the way her smoke dissolved food would never cease to fascinate him). 

The helmet remained on the coffee table all the while, like a special memento. Celty certainly treated it like one, with the way she delicately picked it up and polished it later that night before bringing it back to her room for safe-keeping.

And much to Shinra’s delight twenty years later, as he’s reminiscing on this particular memory over a couple of drinks, she still has it. In all honesty, he’s surprised it hasn’t been destroyed, given the dangerous jobs she’s had to take on. There are some dents and scratches on the surface, but he thinks they’re beautiful—they’re a testament to everything she’s gone through and the strength she holds. 

He’s hopelessly in love with all of her; all her fears, insecurities, weird tsundere tendencies, and all her kindness and warmth and sincerity. Even if he does worry about the new dents that appear on her helmet ever so often after she returns from breaking up a gang fight or getting attacked by foreign assassins or what-have-you in Ikebukuro, he wouldn’t change the part of her that is in love with this city and its inhabitants. He respects that part of her—her ability to care so deeply about so many and yet not let her love be divided but rather multiplied—because he can only pour all his love into her and just her. Loving her has been so turbulent and unpredictable, breath-taking and heart-breaking, the most excruciating pain yet also the greatest joy he’s ever known, that he can’t imagine giving other people—let alone this cursed city—even a fraction of that same love. 

Between the both of them, she’s always been the more human one.

Shinra has been thinking about something new for a while now, actually. Of course, it would just be a formality since they’re already cohabiting and deeply in love with each other. He’s had his silly fantasies of seeing her in a white gown (and then taking it off her), and not to mention that time they punched each other as a substitute for their wedding kiss, but he seriously thinks it’s time now. After all, he has never and he knows he will never love another the way he loves her, and he’s all too happy to devote the rest of his life to loving her (if he could find a way to achieve immortality so he could spend eternity with her that’d be even better). _And_ they already have an apartment together, and they complete each other’s sentences the way married couples do, have unofficially 'adopted' several kids (hello, Anri-chan), and have happy mind-blowing sex, so really they are over-prepared for married life.

Now, he just needs to plan, to make this the best proposal ever so Celty would never even think of having anyone else.

* * *

The moment the front door opens, Shinra springs up from the couch and gathers Celty in his arms.

“Celty, my love, my muse, the light of my life,” he murmurs into the side of her helmet. “Welcome back.”

She just lets out a small puff of smoke (a sigh), though she returns his embrace. “What did you break this time?”

He laughs. See, they already have married life down to a T. “Nope, everything’s intact! Do you honestly have that little faith in me?”

If she had eyes, she’d probably be peering suspiciously at him. “You want something?”

“Mhm.” Shinra takes her hand, gently guiding her to the couch. He waits as she takes her helmet off and pulls the zipper of her jacket down. His pants tighten ever so slightly at the rather tempting view of her cleavage, but he forces his urges down for later. Now, he has something else to tell her. “I was thinking—we’ve both been pretty tied up at work lately. Orihara-kun’s been making you run around the city, and on my end the yakuza’s been having some internal strife, so that means lots of patients to attend to. And if it isn't work keeping us busy, it’s the kids constantly getting into trouble around the city. How many times have you had to bail Mikado-kun out of trouble, just in this past week alone?”

“Honestly? I've lost count.”

“Exactly. We haven’t had a lot of ‘we’ time lately. The only times we see each other on a typical day are at breakfast and dinner, and not even that some days. So—” He places a hand on her thigh. He’d like to take her hands, but she needs them to type. “—I’m proposing we take a week off and run away.”

“Where to?” she asks nervously. “It’s not some weird secluded forest with the werewolf we ran into, right?”

He laughs and places a kiss on her hand. “No, I was thinking of going somewhere further with actual civilisation this time. How do you like the sound of Kyoto?”

Celty instantly perks up. “Oh, Kyoto! I’ve always wanted to go there!”

Shinra knows. They were talking about the various prefectures around the country a while back, when she mentioned how much she’d wanted to visit Kyoto. He made a note of it in a journal, in case he needed ideas for a romantic getaway, and now it's come in handy. “Lovely. How about we set off on Sunday?”

“Wait, that’s just two days away! Isn't that too soon?”

“The sooner we set off the better. It’s the Autumnal Equinox next week, and I wanted to celebrate it with you since it’s kinda like the counterpart of your birthday. Unless you have plans that week?”

She shakes her head. “No, but it’s just that… Ikebukuro’s in such turmoil right now—I don't know if it really is a good idea for us to just suddenly up and vanish.”

“When is Ikebukuro not in some kind of turmoil, though?” he counters. 

“… True, but I'm worried about the kids. What if they all kill each other while I'm not around?”

Shinra counts on his fingers. “Anri-chan is possessed by a demon sword, so she can take care of herself, and she has Karisawa-san looking out for her too. Mikado-kun—well, he’s a blockhead but he can be surprisingly resourceful when he needs to be. Kida-kun isn't really in our so-called 'custody', so there's no point fussing about him. As for the 'one-sided sweet home Alabama meets unhinged stalker with a crush' party… eh, I'm sure they'll be fine. If you're really worried, you can ask Shizuo-kun to keep an eye on them. He’d probably grumble all like, _‘Do I look like a fucking babysitter to you?’_ if I asked him, but he’d definitely do it if you asked him. Oh, and Orihara-kun is always gonna be up to something no matter what you do or where you are, so that’s an extraneous factor that can’t be helped.”

He can tell she still needs a bit more convincing, from the way her fingers waver over her screen, so he decides to play his trump card.

“And, well, a week in Kyoto means a week without having to deal with that scary policeman.”

Immediately, she gets up. “Okay, let’s go. Sunday, right? Then we should start packing.” 

Shinra chuckles and follows behind her. Everything is going according to plan.

* * *

Since Shinra is his own boss (being an underground doctor has its perks), he just informs his usual clients he’ll be taking the week off. Ditto with Celty, who sends out a mass text message to hers and then switches her phone off. 

They take the bullet train to Kyoto, given that they do have a fair amount of money to splurge (Shinra might have stayed up a few nights prior to plan their expenses for the trip, as well as _other_ necessary things he needs to get). He tells Celty he has this whole trip planned from the moment they arrive at Kyoto to the moment they return to their doorstep next Sunday, so she can just take it easy and enjoy all that Kyoto has to offer.

Their first stop is Gion, where they get dressed up in yukata to explore the district. They do get several odd looks, which makes Celty awfully self-conscious, but Shinra assures her that her light blue yukata (one of her favourite colours, surprisingly enough) goes very nicely with her black biker helmet. 

Gion is a test on their self-control as there are quite a number of lovely teahouses and stores in the district. Shinra likes to think that splurging on all those boxes of matcha chocolates was a necessary expense—he is quite fond of those, and the matcha in Ikebukuro just doesn’t taste the same. 

The real treat, though, is having Celty excitedly drag him around to the different stores and ogle at the various trinkets on display like a child on an adventure. God, she really is too cute. He wants nothing more than to pull her into his arms, bring her back to their hotel room and—

Celty tugs insistently on his hand, breaking him out of his naughty daydreams.

“Yes, love?” he asks. He glances down at her hand that’s not holding his, and spots a pair of phone straps with tiny cats attached at the end. “Oh, these kinda look like your helmet! You want these?”

She nods. “I was thinking we could get this as a pair. One for you, one for me.”

“Aww, couple phone straps?” he teases. “I didn't take you for a romantic, Celty. I thought that was my job.”

It probably takes Celty all of her self-control not to fume smoke at him, though he has a feeling she’ll _punish_ him very nicely later tonight. “So are we getting these or not? Are these not to your taste? They have more over there if you—”

“No, no, these are lovely,” he assures her. He pats the top of her helmet, then takes the straps from her. “I’ll pay for them.”

“But you’ve been paying for everything so far! I’ve brought some money too, you know.”

He smiles gently at her, half-wishing she had lips he could kiss. “I know, but I wanna spoil you. And I won't be taking no for an answer, so you should get used to it.”

A tiny puff of black smoke manages to escape through her helmet this time. Thankfully, it’s not obvious if you’re not actively looking out for it. “… Idiot Shinra.”

“Oh, stop it. Your glowing compliments are making me blush.” 

Needless to say, they return to their hotel with heavy shopping bags and significantly lighter wallets. Seeing how much they splurged earlier (a fair amount greater than he had predicted, and he’d been _generous_ with his predictions), they agree to have a modest dinner of cup somen in their hotel room.

After a quick shower (while there’s an onsen downstairs, Celty can’t use it for obvious reasons, and if there’s no private couple’s onsen they can book then Shinra doesn't want to use it either), they lie in bed together, with her neck on his chest and his arms around her waist. His fingers trace over the delightfully thin material of her black negligee as he contemplates various ways he could convince her to take it off, while she quietly listens to his heartbeat. He wonders what she hears: a tranquil rhythm, or a thumping passionate tune?

“Hey, Shinra?”

“Yeah?”

Black smoke envelopes them, warm and cosy. Celty shifts a little, so she’d be looking up at him from her position on his chest if she had her head, and her aura ‘smiles’ at him. “I had lots of fun today. I can't believe it’s just the first day. If every day is gonna be this fun, I don’t think I want this trip to end.”

Shinra returns the smile. “I'm glad you did; that was my whole purpose for bringing you here. You deserved a break and to be spoiled.”

At the mention of ‘spoiled’, her aura darkens just a little, sending a not-unpleasant shiver through him. He has a hunch about what she plans to do next, but he waits patiently for her to elaborate.

“But you were being a little annoying earlier,” she continues. “Teasing me in public like that when I just wanted to buy something for us, then saying I couldn't pay for anything and I had 'no choice' in the matter. I wasn't happy about that.”

Shinra just smirks coquettishly at her. “And what do you plan on doing about that, my dear?”

The orb wrapped around them vanishes, and two black ropes lash out to tie his wrists to the headboard behind. Shinra’s pulse starts racing with that familiar rush he’ll never get sick of. Celty rises up, straddling his lap and pushing her hands against his chest.

“You know what happens to you when you misbehave, Shinra.”

He shivers again. “Yes, indeed I do.”

“‘Yes, indeed I do’, what?” As if to emphasise her point, the ropes tighten around his wrists ever so slightly. What a tease.

“Yes, indeed I do, Mistress.”

“Good.”

Long story short, Shinra gets well and thoroughly punished that night, though operant conditioning must not work on him because honestly? He’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

* * *

They spend the next few days doing typical touristy things around Kyoto: visiting shrines, buying all the matcha and other assortments of sweets they can get their hands on, spending an entire afternoon in the Manga Museum because Celty is a closet otaku, and even heading down to Nara Park to see the infamous deer. 

“Shinra, they keep coming to me!” Celty wails from her spot surrounded by a pack of rather aggressive deer. She holds the deer treats high above her head as she frantically dances around, avoiding their greedy mouths and the droppings on the ground.

“Just give them a treat,” Shinra says absentmindedly, busy taking as many photos as his camera storage would allow of Celty and the deer. The deer may look adorable, but they sure have awful personalities. Ah, and as always, Celty is glowing like a goddess under the late afternoon sun. Oh, that woman will never fail to take his breath away.

“Shinra, one of them _bit_ me! Is that even legal?!”

Okay, _that’s_ not cool. She may be an immortal dullahan, but he isn't about to let any creature get away with hurting _his_ Celty, no matter if they're humanoid or deer. 

Straightening his spine, he strides over to where Celty and the deer are. He tosses the treats he has on hand as far from them as possible. Most of the deer instantly give chase after the flying wafers, though a few obstinate ones stick around to continue harassing her.

“Okay, show’s over, go back to where you nasties came from,” Shinra says airily. He places a protective arm around her waist while taking the treats from her, throwing them a ways behind the deer. “Shoo now, don't let me catch you hanging around us again.”

Now that the deer have been successfully distracted and dispersed, Celty slumps against him. “I mean, I had heard of rumours about the infamous Nara deer, but I didn't think they would be _this_ mean!”

“I know, dear,” he soothes. He guides her away from the deer, around the droppings, and to a more secluded walkway shaded by trees framed in colours of flame. Red and golden leaves flutter through the air and scatter all over the grass, as beautiful as precious gems. “Where did the deer bite you?”

“On my hip. I think it wanted more treats and was getting impatient.”

“How rude. The people in charge here ought to teach them some manners.”

Celty’s fingers blaze across the screen in panicked worry. “Shinra, is a deer bite harmful? Will I get an infection? I know I'm immortal, but hypothetically if I were human could it kill me?”

“If it was a shallow bite, it shouldn't have any lasting impacts on you or any hypothetical human. At most there’ll just be some bruises and marks on your skin, but they'll fade away in a couple of days. They also won't make you any less beautiful, of course.”

She ‘sighs’ in relief. “Oh, thank god. And thank you, Shinra. You really do know everything.”

Shinra swells up with pride. As always, she knows how to make him feel like he’s on top of the whole universe. “You're welcome, my dearest Celty.”

They climb a set of steep stairs up to Todaiji temple, which leaves Shinra winded by the time they reach the actual temple. He bends down, hands on his knees and the large shopping bag—that he’s been carrying around since they left the hotel that morning—swaying precariously on his arm. Who the hell said a temple needed so many steps? Can’t they just put temples on even ground? Well, whatever, he’s a doctor not an architect.

“Are you okay?” Celty asks, placing a hand on his back. “Do you need to sit down? Do you want me to get you some water?”

“I'm fine, but thanks.” He smiles at her, though he is a little embarrassed to be so out of breath when she’s perfectly okay.

“I can hold that shopping bag for you, at least.”

Shinra instinctively jerks, hugging the bag close to him. “O—oh no, you don't have to. I can manage just fine. Don't worry, I'm tougher than I look!”

If Celty had a head, she’d be giving him an odd look, judging by her aura. But otherwise she doesn’t say anything, just waits for him until he’s caught his breath.

After washing their hands at the well, they enter the temple, joining the other visitors in prayer for the Autumnal Equinox. Shinra doesn’t consider himself to be particularly religious since he doesn’t think he needs a god to tell him how to be a decent person, and Celty has never fully grasped the human concept of religion, but nonetheless they clasp their hands and lower their heads in silence.

Shinra thinks about this god that probably does exist but he has no need for—at least, until now. _Now,_ he has something precious he never wants to lose. He would fight the whole world and renounce everything if it meant keeping this one precious thing with him. And because of that, this might just be the first time he hopes this god hears his prayer—it’s the most sincere one he’s ever said.

_I'm not the kind of guy who wants a lot. I don't particularly care about riches or luxuries or power or status. All I want is her, and a future with her. To spend the rest of my life with her. She's the best thing that has ever been mine, so protect her. Protect us. That’s all I ask for._

Shinra opens his eyes and glances to his side, where Celty is already facing him expectantly.

“That was an unusually long prayer,” she remarks, “considering you're the guy who thinks religion is a sham.”

“I had a lot I wanted to pray for,” he says simply. “And I don't think religion is a sham. I don't really care if others want to believe in it—I just think it doesn't make all that much sense to me personally. Anyway, what did you pray for?”

A tiny puff of smoke escapes her helmet. “… For you to be safe, happy and healthy.”

The world instantly bursts into vibrant colour around Shinra. Delighted, he flings his arms around her and kisses her helmet, ignoring the weird looks they get from the other visitors. “Celty! That's so sweet of you!”

“Is it really that much of a surprise?” she demands, her aura 'blushing'. “Besides, you're not the only one I prayed for. I also prayed for Ikebukuro; for all the nonsensical fighting and conflicts to stop, so everyone can live in peace. For Anri-chan's safety, and for her to wake up with a smile on her face every day. For Mikado-kun to be happy and content with what he has. For Kadota and his crew to get all the manga and concert tickets they want. And that they don't wreck their van. For Shizuo to find peace and have better control over his temper.”

“And for Orihara-kun to stop being a meddling little shit?”

Celty lifts a shoulder in a half-shrug. “I don't think even a higher deity can help with that.”

Shinra laughs, feeling himself fall in love again for the umpteenth time. Yes, he definitely wants to spend the rest of his life with this woman. “Yeah, you're right about that.”

“What about you? What did you pray for?”

He just smiles mysteriously at her. “For us.”

She pauses, as if waiting for some kind of elaboration. When it doesn't, her fingers fly across her keyboard before she all but shoves her phone in his face. “What exactly did you pray for us?”

“I’ll tell you another time. Let’s go eat something, Celty, I'm starving!” he sings, dragging her along before she can protest. 

They grab a quick dinner at a nearby izakaya, then hop on the bus back to the city. The entire ride, Celty is practically glued to the window as she ‘gasps’ (in the form of tiny puffs of smoke) at the sights like she hasn't been seeing them all week and points out that “Shinra, look, look! The lights are so pretty! Over there!” 

Shinra smiles and humours her, but his mind is somewhere else. Specifically, on the large shopping bag sitting between his knees,

and its contents. It's been in the back of his mind the whole trip, but tonight—their last night in Kyoto before they return home—it has taken center stage. 

Fear gnaws at his gut: fear that everything could go wrong. That he would chicken out at the last moment after going to all the trouble of planning everything. 

That she would say no. 

_You can't back out now,_ he tells himself. _You've already committed to this. And you've wanted this too long to wait any longer._

When they arrive at the stop outside their hotel and Celty makes to get up, Shinra grabs her wrist to hold her down.

“Aren't we getting off here?” she asks, puzzled. “That _is_ our hotel over there, right?”

“It is, it is,” he assures her. His heart hammers in his throat, and butterflies threaten to make a forceful exit out of his stomach. “I—I was thinking of making one last stop before calling it a day.”

“Oh, sure. Where to?”

He gives her a charmingly mysterious smile. Or attempts to, because his facial muscles feel like they've been replaced with lead. “You'll see.”

Fifteen more minutes on the bus brings them to a stop near the Kamogawa river. With his heart racing faster than it did when he was climbing the stairs to Todaiji temple, he takes Celty’s hand and leads her to the river bank. He grins with satisfaction when the sight before them causes a mini explosion of black smoke around her helmet.

He can't blame her; he chose this place specifically because of the view. In the daytime, it probably looked beautiful, all silky cerulean surfaces surrounded by the bright reds and golds of the trees on the river bank. But by _god_ does the river at nighttime look absolutely majestic. The golden lights of the buildings nearby flicker gently on the endless azure water, like fireflies dancing in the night.

“This is amazing, Shinra,” Celty says, her fingers trembling slightly from the sheer beauty of the view. “Did you have this planned, or was this a spur-of-the-moment decision?”

He smiles, reaches down for her hand, and lifts it to his lips in worship. “Definitely planned, my dear.”

Her aura is practically glowing as she asks, “What’s your plan? Was it just to admire the view? Not that I'm complaining, of course, since it _is_ a gorgeous view. But knowing you, there’s probably some kind of ulterior motive so tell me—”

“Celty.”

She's about to type something on her phone, but her fingers falter when he—still holding her hand—lowers himself down to one knee.

“Celty, there’s something very important I've been meaning to ask you. Will you hear me out, please?”

Her hand trembling in his, she nods, and he smiles.

“Thank you.” He pauses, his throat dry. The rest of the world around them falls silent, and all he can hear is his heartbeat roaring in his ears. It’s so loud, he wonders if she can hear it too. “Celty, I—well, I think I’ve been extremely unsubtle about my feelings for you. And that was intentional, ‘cause I never want you to doubt, even for a moment, my love and devotion to you. And, um—” He bites his lip, starting to get flustered with her ‘staring’ down at him like that. “—well, I actually wrote a little something for this occasion. I'm no poet, but please know that I mean every word I'm about to say.”

He takes a deep breath, trying to remember the words he’d spent nights agonising over because he was a doctor, not a poet, but dammit he was going to do his best for her if it's the last thing he'd ever do. 

_“You borrowed my old ugly heart,_

_and returned it brand new._

_Then I decided I liked it so much_

_I wanted to share it with you._

_So take me, take me for all that I was,_

_that I am, and that I will be,_

_for my heart, my body, my future_

_are yours too to keep._

_All I ask is for your love;_

_for my heart and only mine to hold._

_Because mine has always been yours,_

_both gorgeous new and precious old.”_

Shinra takes another shuddering breath to steel his nerves again, his cheeks burning from the embarrassment of being so… well, _vulnerable_ with his heart. Just because it has always been hers doesn't mean it’s any easier to be truly vulnerable. “I guess it must be pretty obvious what I want to ask you, and I know that time I said that punch was a substitute for our wedding kiss… but I want to say it properly this time. Celty, the light and love of my life—” He reaches into the large shopping bag and holds out a light blue helmet, the exact same shade of the yukata she wore on the first day of their trip, for her to see. “—will you do me the greatest honour of marrying me?”

Silence. Well, of course there would be silence; she can’t talk. But it still threatens to deafen him as he watches her nervously. His knee trembles a little from kneeling on it for so long, but he can’t move—he’s frozen until she says something, or does something, or—

She gently tugs her hand out of his hold. He continues staring as her fingers hover over the keyboard, like she doesn't know what she wants to say, before slowly tapping out a succinct message. Each _tap-tap_ sound of her nails on the screen sound like some kind of march to his funeral, or something dramatic like that. 

“Wait, don't humans normally propose with, like, rings?”

He can't help it; he bursts into laughter, dissipating the tension in the air. Or maybe the tension was just in his head. It doesn't matter—all he knows is the peals of laughter racking his body and all the love he has for her that threatens to overflow.

“What?” Celty asks, bemused. “Humans _do_ propose with rings, right? That's how they always do it on TV!”

“Yes, yes, you're right,” Shinra chuckles, wiping a stray tear. “Sorry, I'm not making fun of you. It’s just— _adorable_ how _that's_ the first thing you said.”

“Forgive me for being surprised that you're proposing to me with a _helmet_ of all things. … It is a nice helmet, though. I’ve been thinking of getting a new one, actually.”

He grins. “I know. That's why I got it.”

“Oh, Shinra…” She pauses, like a sudden thought just occurred to her, before her fingers turn into a blur over her keyboard. “Wait, then this whole trip, even the timing of this, the Autumnal Equinox—was it…?”

“Yep, all planned. The Vernal Equinox, the one in spring, kinda represents your new beginning as an individual, yes? That's why I chose the Autumnal Equinox—its ‘counterpart’, so to speak—to propose to you, because I wanted it to mark our new beginning together as an engaged couple. Well, if you agree to it, that is.”

Celty freezes. Shinra doesn't understand why until she nearly burns her fingers with how fast she's typing, and shoves her phone in his face.

“Oh my god, I didn't say yes?”

He blinks. “Well, uh, I believe the first thing you said was, and I quote, _‘Wait, don't humans normally propose with, like, rings?’_ ”

“Oh.” A pause as her fingers fly furiously across her screen again. “Um, well, I wanna do a speech too, since you gave me such a beautiful one just now. This is really short notice, but I’ll try my best.

“I really wanna spend my life with you. I know it won't be a conventional relationship, since I'm not human, but… I've stopped caring about what other people think of me and of our relationship. Or, at least, I've been trying. And that's because of you, Shinra. You've taught me so many things, about science and history and the world—and you’ve also taught me how to love me, and I can never thank you enough for that.

“And me—I’ve been alive for very long, longer than I can remember. What I do remember is that I was never content. I was always searching for something I wasn't sure I could ever call mine. 

“But somehow along the way, on the long arduous journey from my homeland to Japan, I instead found something even greater that I could call mine.

“You, Shinra. It was always meant to be you.

“I'm happy. I'm so, so happy and grateful that I chose to travel to Japan on the twentieth of March twenty years ago to end up with you. I wanted a lot back then, but now… I don't want anything else now that I have you. I don't even want to look at or think of anyone else.

“And I won't. I promise you, no one else will ever come close to meaning to me what _you_ mean to me.

“So if it wasn't clear before: yes, I want to marry you too, Kishitani Shinra. My heart, my body, my future—I want to share them with you too.”

When he’s finished reading her speech, Shinra doesn’t even realise he’s crying until she gently wipes the back of her hand against his damp cheeks.

“Oh god,” he murmurs, furiously rubbing his eyes. “I just—I’m a mess, Celty. God, you really know how to make me lose my cool.”

“I know. Stand up, Shinra.”

And so he does. His knee is grateful for that too, because it was starting to _really_ get sore from being on it for too long.

No other words are needed. Delicately, he lifts the black helmet off Celty’s neck and replaces it with the blue one. It paints a sharp contrast to her all-black outfit, but it’s beautiful. Of course it is, because it’s her.

And then she flings herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and resting her helmet on his shoulder. Instinctively, like it’s muscle memory, Shinra wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close so he can plant a kiss on her neck the way he would kiss her forehead if she had a head.

“Shinra, I love you,” she says, trembling ever so slightly in his arms. “I love you so much, I don't know any other way to say it. I think I've run out of words.”

He chuckles, kissing her again. “It’s okay. I love you too. And I'll say it over and over again all you want.”

Shinra tilts his head, this time kissing the front of her helmet where her lips would be. Black smoke billows around them, wrapping them up in a cocoon separating them from the rest of the world and all its noise and lights and distractions.

“You want me that badly, Celty?” he breathes out. This works for him too, because he doesn't think he can wait until they return to their hotel room to take her—he wants her _now._

When she nods desperately, pushing him down to lie on the base of the cocoon, he completely falls apart. How can he ever say no to her when she’s being so damn adorable? And he has never been a particularly strong man when it comes to resisting her charm, anyway.

And as Shinra holds her in his arms to support her, as she shifts and trembles on his lap and tosses her neck back in ecstasy, as his hands and lips traverse her body in loving worship, it occurs to him that…

Somehow, all at once, like choice has finally reunited with fate and greeted it like an old friend, this is enough. For him, for her, for them.

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoyed this, please kudos and comment! i really appreciate feedback, especially because i adore these two and am starved for more content for them:D thanks for reading! and please stay safe, wash your hands, and all that.
> 
> here's my [tumblr](https://hqissodelicate.tumblr.com/) if you wanna chat.


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